MARITIME EXPANSION

The maritime expansion of Portugal was the result of the threat to
Mediterranean commerce that had developed very rapidly after the
crusades, especially the trade in spices. Spices traveled by various
overland routes from Asia to the Levant, where they were loaded aboard
Genoese and Venetian ships and brought to Europe. Gradually, this trade
became threatened by pirates and the Turks, who closed off most of the
overland routes and subjected the spices to heavy taxes. Europeans
sought alternative routes to Asia in order to circumvent these
difficulties.

The Portuguese led the way in this quest for a number of reasons.
First, Portugal's location on the southwesternmost edge of the European
landmass placed the country at the maritime crossroads between the
Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Second, Portugal was by the fifteenth
century a compact, unified kingdom led by an energetic, military
aristocracy, which, having no more territory on the peninsula to
conquer, sought new fields of action overseas. Third, Portuguese kings
were motivated by a deeply held belief that their role in history was as
the standard-bearers of Christianity against the Muslims. Fourth,
Portugal's kings had, since the founding of the monarchy, encouraged
maritime activities. Dinis founded the Portuguese navy, and Fernando
encouraged the construction of larger ships and founded a system of
maritime insurance. Finally, Portugal led the world in nautical science,
having perfected the astrolabe and quadrant and developed the
lantine-rigged caravel, all of which made navigating and sailing the
high seas possible.